Hair barrette



Jan. 7, 1958 J. R. BEAUDRY 2,818,871

HAIR BARRETTE Filed June 1, 1953 A\\\ /7 Al I mull y JAZZ/MIDI da/m/ 5/4002) wa Arrows United States Patent- HAIR BARRETTE John Beaudry, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Charles, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application June 1, 1953, Serial No. 358,622

8 Claims. (Cl. 132-48) This invention relates to hair barrettes.

Mothers have always been confronted with a vexing problem relative to dressing the hair of their juvenile daughters in that although a barrette is a conventional means of retaining their daughters hair in place, no completely satisfactory barrette has been produced. The chief ditficulty experienced by mothers is that the barrettes are not constructed so as to be capable of being so securely aflixed to the hair as to prevent their loss. This is especially true for young girls whose hair is frequently very fine in texture. Mothers report the loss of so many of such barrettes by their daughters that their use is almost prohibitive unless the barrettes can be inexpensively manufactured and sold. Even if they can be manufactured cheaply and sold at a reasonable price, there is the constant need and inconvenience in replacing the lost items so long as the barrette is not constructed adequately to insure against loss thereof. Thus it can be seen that there is an urgent need for an inexpensive barrette which will remain secured to the childs hair regardless of its texture.

It is a general object of my invention to provide a novel and improved hair barrette of inexpensive and cheap construction.

A more specific object is to provide an improved hair barrette capable of being aflixed to a childs hair so as to remain in the desired position regardless of the texture of the hair.

A still more specific object is to provide an improved Another object is to provide a novel and improved hair Y barrette having cooperative interlocking elements arranged to extend transversely to the length of the hair and to lock the hairs therebetween securely.

Another object is to provide an improved hair barrette which will positively engage the hair of a child so securely that it cannot slip longitudinally of the hair and become lost.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of my barrette in extended position with the hair gripping surfaces being exposed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same barrette extended and in open position and also on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the barrette on a smaller scale in closed position;

' improved manner.

2,818,871 Patented Jan. 7, 1953 Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 5 is a full-scale plan view of my barrette in closed or locked position with a lock of hair secured therewithin.

One embodiment of my invention is shown in Figs. l'5 wherein the entire barrette indicated generally as B is pressure-molded from a flexible material such as polyethylene. As shown, this barrette is comprised of a single elongated strip indicated generally as 6 which is generally flat and has a generally flat surface 7 which may be doubled back upon itself when the barrette is in use as shown in Fig. 3. This strip 6 has a reduced medial area 8 and free end portions 9 and 10. The reduced medial area 8 faciiltates the bending of the strip so that the substantially fiat surface 7 may be bent back upon itself as shown in Fig. 3 so that the end portions constitute jaw members designated as 11 and 12. A tab 13 extends outwardly from the reduced medial portion 8.

Mounted upon the generally fiat surface'7 is a plurality of ribs 14 which are laterally spaced relative to each other and are positioned on the opposite jaw members 11 and 12 in non-aligned relation. These ribs 14 extend longitudinally of the strip and of the jaw members and are of such dimensions that each may extend between an adjacent pair of ribs on the opposite jaw member when the two jaws 11 and 12 are brought together so that the ribs may cooperate with each other. Thus it can be seen that when the hair H is placed transversely to these ribs, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the hairs will be positively engaged by the cooperating ribs and clamped therebetween.

The free end portion 10 has an aperture 15 formed therethrough. The opposite free end portion 9 has an upstanding locking post 16 which has a slightly enlarged free end portion 17. The diameter of the post 16 is substantially equal to the diameter of the aperture 15 but the enlarged free end portion 17 is of slightly greater diameter than the aperture so that when the jaw members 11 and 12 are brought into side by side relation and the free end portions 9 and 10 are brought into opposed and adjacent relation, the enlarged end portion 17 may be forced through the opening 15 whereupon it will retain the jaw members in locked position. This, of course, holds the cooperative ribs 14 in cooperative engaging relation relative to the hair to positively secure the same to the lock of hair as shown in Fig. 5.

In use, the barrette is gripped by the tab 13 and bent to a partially closed position at the medial area 8 and the lock of hair H which is desired to be held in place is moved between the jaw members 11 and 12. The free end portion 10 is then moved toward the free end portion 9 until the enlarged end portion 17 of the locking post 16 passes through the aperture 15. This will retain the free end portions 9 and 10 in locked or secured position as shown in Fig. 3 and will hold the ribs 14- in cooperative engaging relation. I have found that such a structure secures hair of even the finest texture so securely that there is no possibility of the barrette sliding longitudinally of the hair and becoming lost. In fact, if one seizes such a barret and pulls on it, it will hold the hair so securely as to cause the wearer of the barrette to cry out in pain. w

Thus it can be seen that I have provided a novel and improved barrette which clearly functions in a greatly My barrette completely obviates the problem which mothers have faced for years in attempting to avoid the loss of barrettes which their daughters use. The resilient nature of the ribs 14 plus their close interlocking cooperative positions causes the hair to be engaged so securely as to preclude any possibility of the ts in mperative in opposed and ng a single genom flexible and a generally flat d portions, said to permit said 1; upon itself to d adjacent rel bs supported y outwardly there- -l1 side of said ast some of said s between a pair said medial area d back upon itd and adjacent f said free end retain said ribs :end portions in mg a single genolyeth ylene and e endpor'tions, u dimensions medial area to e doubled bacl; ns into opposed nsversel-y spaced ace and extendof said medial ribs being posithe same to exat the opposite end portions are to cooperatively therebetwieen to f, and cooperaportions of said 7 engaging posid adjacent relag a pair of opportions swingouter end pornt relation and when said end djacent relation, elements carried bers and extendgaging elements id end portions elation, and eod free end pori d surfaces and Lion and having id end portions cent relation, a ied by said surm and longitua o said ribs permit the same to extend into the space between an adjacent pair of said ribs on the opposite jaw members when said end portions are in opposed and adjacent relation to cooperatively engage hair when the latter is passed between said ribs to extend transversely of the length thereof, and cooperative securing means carried by said free end portions of said jaw members to retain said ribs in cooperaive engaging position and said free end portions in opposed and adjacent relation.

8. An unjointed hair barrette comprising a pair of opposed jaw members having inner end portions swingably connected together and having free outer end portions swingable into opposed and adjacent relation and having surfaces opposed to each other when said end portions are swung into opposed and adjacent relation, a plurality of cooperating parallel ribs carried by the opposed surfaces of said jaw members and extending longitudinally thereof, said ribs cooperating with each other to positively engage hair when the latter is passed between said elements to extend transversely of the length thereof and said end portions are swung into opposed and adjacent relation, and a locking post carried by the free end portion of one of said jaw members and extending outwardly therefrom toward the opposed jaw member, the other of said jaw members having an aperture formed therein opposite said locking post and adapted to cooperatively receive the same therein, said jaw members and said locking post being formed integrally of polyethylene, said locking post having an enlarged free end portion of slightly larger diameter than the diameter of said aperture to adapt the same to retain said jaw members in opposed and adjacent relation and said ribs in cooperative engaging position after said enlarged end portion of said locking post has been inserted through said aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 956,793 Burke May 3, 1910 1,623,034 Heath et al Mar. 29, 1927 1,859,440 Gorin May 24, 1932 2,317,930 McFadden Apr. 27, 1943 2,630,811 Green Mar. 10, 1953 2,699,789 Goodman Ian. 18, 1955 

